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Caravan: Rules for 2-4 Players

Caravan: A Wasteland Card Game

Welcome to the Caravan League of Chicago, traveler! Originally played by traders and caravaneers in the post-apocalyptic Mojave Wasteland1, this unique card game blends strategy, luck, and just the right amount of chaos. Using standard playing cards in unexpected ways, Caravan challenges you to build competing routes while sabotaging your opponent's efforts. This guide will help you understand the basics and get you ready for your first game.

Equipment Needed

1. Playing cards (from one or more standard decks, including up to 1 Joker per player) 2. A flat playing surface 3. A friend (or enemy) to compete agains

Game Objective

The goal of Caravan is to create three "caravans" (card piles) with values between 21 and 26, while preventing your opponent from doing the same. The first player to have three valid caravans with higher values than their opponent's corresponding caravans wins the game.

Setup

  1. Each player builds their own customized deck of at least 30 cards (our group uses 36-card starting decks)

  2. The players take turns creating their initial caravans: *

    1. Two players: three caravans
    2. Three players: four caravans
    3. Four players: five caravans

  3. Players take turns playing cards onto their own caravans or using face cards against any caravan

Building Your Deck

  1. Your deck consists of at least 30 cards of your choosing (our group starts with 36-card decks)
  2. You can use any combination of cards from one or more standard playing card decks
  3. A maximum of 1 Joker is allowed in your starting deck
  4. Include a mix of number cards and face cards based on your strategy
  5. There are no strict limits on deck contents beyond the randomized suite distribution
  6. Kings, Jacks, and Queens serve special tactical purposes
  7. You can include multiple copies of the same card (e.g., several Kings)

Starting the Game

  1. Both players draw 8 cards from their deck

  2. Determine who goes first (coin flip or mutual agreement)

  3. On your turn, you must do exactly ONE of the following:

    1. Play a card onto one of your three caravans
    2. Discard a card and draw a replacement
    3. Disband (remove) one of your caravans completely

Building Caravans

  1. You start each caravan with a number card
  2. You build your caravan by adding cards in either ascending or descending order
  3. The first two cards determine the caravan's direction (ascending or descending)
  4. Cards played must follow the established direction and be of the same suit OR a different suit than the previous card
  5. The value of a caravan is the sum of all number cards in it
  6. A caravan with a value between 21-26 is considered "sold" and counts toward victory

Face Card Effects

  1. Kings (K): Double the value of the card it's played on
  2. Queens (Q): Reverse the caravan's direction (ascending becomes descending, etc.)
  3. Jacks (J): Remove the card it's played on and any face cards attached to it
  4. Aces (A): Worth 1 point (when played as a number card)
  5. Jokers: Eliminate all cards of the same rank that the Joker is placed upon

Face Card Placement

  1. Face cards are played ON TOP of existing number cards
  2. Multiple face cards can be stacked on a single number card
  3. Effects are applied in the order the face cards are played

Winning the Game

A player wins when:

  1. They have three caravans with values between 21-26, AND
  2. Their opponent has fewer "sold" caravans, OR
  3. Their "sold" caravans have a higher total value than their opponent's corresponding caravans

Strategy Tips for Beginners

  1. Kings are your most powerful cards—save them for crucial moments
  2. Use Jacks to sabotage your opponent's nearly-completed caravans
  3. Queens can save a caravan that's growing too large
  4. Build different caravan directions to give yourself flexibility
  5. Keep track of which suits you've played to ensure you can continue building
  6. Don't be afraid to disband a caravan that's becoming problematic

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  1. Playing all your face cards too early
  2. Building caravans too quickly without plan
  3. Ignoring your opponent's progress
  4. Forgetting your caravan's direction
  5. Not paying attention to suits when adding cards

Example Turn

Let's say you have a caravan started with a 7 of Hearts, followed by a 9 of Clubs (establishing an ascending order). On your next turn, you could:

  1. Play a 10 of Spades (continuing ascending order with a different suit)
  2. Play a Jack on your opponent's strong caravan to disrupt it
  3. Play a King on your 9 of Clubs to double its value to 18
  4. Play a Queen on your 9 of Clubs to reverse the caravan's direction (now descending)

Final Notes

Caravan is a game of adaptation and opportunism. Your strategy will evolve as you learn which combinations work best for your play style. There's no perfect deck—experimentation is key!

Caravan League Rules

  1. Your deck is your permanent property—you own and maintain it

  2. You may challenge any other Caravan League player to a match at any time

  3. A match consists of a minimum of 3 games played between the same players

  4. After each game, players earn points as follows:

    1. 2 points per caravan sold
    2. 0 points if caravans tie
    3. 5 points for an overall win in a game

  5. After completing a match, both players must independently contact the Secretary of the Caravan League to report the results of each game

  6. Match results are only officially recorded when both players have reported the same outcome

  7. Points earned are used to purchase booster packs and improve your deck

Booster Packs & Deck Improvement

Players can spend their earned points on booster packs to enhance their decks:

Booster Pack Types:

  1. Balanced Pack (30 points): Standard distribution of cards across all suits
  2. Strategy Pack (45 points): Focus on tactical cards (more face cards)
  3. Premium Pack (60 points): Highest concentration of powerful cards (Kings, high-value cards)

Dusting System

Players can exchange unwanted cards from their collection back to the central card pool ("dusting") to earn points:

  1. Common cards (2-10): 1 point
  2. Uncommon cards (J, Q): 2 points
  3. Rare cards (K, A): 3 points

Card Deck Donations

The Secretary of the Caravan League (who also serves as the Merchant of Booster Packs) greatly appreciates donations of physical card decks or loose cards in good condition with unique designs.

All donated cards will be incorporated into the booster packs distributed to League members. Donations help maintain variety in the League's card pool and are recognized with either:

  1. Rights to select 2 non-joker cards from the donated deck or
  2. Bonus points based on the rarity and uniqueness of the donated deck (only reward in exchange for loose cards of any quantity)

Caravan Forth!

Good luck, and may your caravans always sell for a profit!

Footnotes


1 This guide is based on the card game featured

in Fallout: New Vegas, adapted for real-world

play with standard playing cards.



* This rule, note, or term varies significantly

from the original game in Fallout: New Vegas.

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